This is an easy light appetizer or side dish. All the vegetables get a squirt of oil and you roast them off till they are done. The sauce whips up in a jiffy and if you want to be fancy it’s a snap to crisp up a few basil leaves in the oven. Just squirt some basil leaves soon both sides and in around 6 minutes they will turn crisp. I do note that my recipe makes too much dressing. You can use the extra dressing for a salad, vegetable dip or a sandwich spread. Also my idea of portion size may differ from your idea of portion size. I used 6 baby eggplants. It made 12 small pieces. I think as a side dish it is around 4 portions but as an appetizer most people would only eat 1- 2 pieces so I’m guessing maybe 8 servings as an appetizer.

Ingredients for around 4 servings

6 baby eggplants (or a few more) – cut in 1/2 and score the cut surface

12 mini bell peppers (mine were extra tiny…you might need less) – remove stem, core and seeds – cut in slices

2 shallots sliced thin – (mine were very small shallots)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil – this is a guess on how much olive oil got squirted on the vegetables

1/2 lemon – just the juice (this is to squirt over the eggplants

12 anchovy’s (or one for each eggplant half)

1/4 cup basil leaves (optional a few extra leaves to crisp up in the oven)

2 small garlic cloves – ground to paste or microplane

1 egg yolk

1/4 lemon – just the fresh squeezed juice

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon dijon mustard (I used Amora Brand)

fresh crushed sea salt to taste

fresh crushed black pepper to taste

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F

Scored halved eggplants go on a baking sheet. They get squirted with lemon juice and olive oil and go on a middle rack in the oven till done (you want them to look charred) Timing will differ….they should be done in 45 minutes or up to 60 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

The bell pepper strips and the sliced shallots go on baking sheets too. They also get squirted with olive oil and go in the oven till done. You want them slightly charred. Timing may differ. Mine were done in around 30 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

While everything is cooking whip up the aioli. Put the olive oil, garlic, dijon and egg yolk in a cup and use your stick blender and blend till emulsified. Add basil leaves and lemon juice and blend again. I didn’t think the dressing needed any salt and pepper but I used Amora Brand dijon that taste different from other brands. Add pepper if you think it needs it…remember the anchovy that you are adding is salty.

Assemble eggplants. Each one gets a pinch of pepper strips, a pinch of shallots. Then they get an anchovy and a squirt of aioli and the optional basil leaf.

Tasty and light